Friday, October 31, 2014

This is my first pair of really good wearable socks. They are not perfect, but they are wearable. And they feel really nice on my feet. I wore them to work 1 day.

Deborah Norville brand but lost the label, so do not know the colorway

I finished another pair tonight

Herrschner's Sock Yarn Stripes in color Royalty

This pair didn't knit up as nicely. I do not know if it is the dark color of dye, or the brand of yarn, but it was not as soft or knit as smooth as the first pair.

I hope you all are having a wonderful halloween. This is my mother's 87th Birthday today. She has always had a good sense of humor about being a "witch" at least on this day. Today she went downtown to get her hair done and wore her witches outfit. He He, good for her. I hope I am as carefree when I am her age.

The last few years I have demo'd tatting there. This year due to farmguy's health, I was not able to go.

But I did some of my part to help by tatting the bookmarks and sending them with another gal.

The cross bookmark is my own pattern that I have used for years. The vining bookmarks are based on an edging pattern that was posted on Facebook.

The green is a Flora thread in size 20. The varigated threads are Lizbeth. The cross bookmark is done in an acrylic lace yarn that should be purple and green but for some reason the scan does not show true.
This is what the thread looks like

I also did a quick run up to Rollag and picked up my refurbished Circular Sock Machine

Now to get practicing so I can get some socks knitted before the weather gets colder.

Farmguy has 2 surgeries scheduled for this week so we shall see how things go this time. Wednesday he is to have the Nephrostomy tubes in his back replaced ans apparently, good medical practice states they need to be replaced every 90 days. The one on Friday is to reverse the iliostomy. Thanks be to God that there will be no complications this time around.

Monday, August 11, 2014

done through round 5. The thread is size 40 hand dyed for me by Monica Braxton of NAGstudio on Etsy. I think it is turning out like I was thinking of a field of wild violets.

A friend of ours lost his mother last week, so I tatted bookmarks for the family.

The thread is size 20 and the pattern is one I do by memory, I do not know where I picked it up, I have done it so many times over the years.

I also purchased 3 new shuttles the last couple months. Did I need them? No, I did not, but I wanted them. he he, not really smart money management, but they fed the need.
They are all Elite Creations Slider shuttles.

Top side

Bottom side

from the side.

I really like the Teal and Rose Burl shuttles, they are short and I can go really fast with them. The cross bookmarks each took my only an hour and a half to tat them.
The India Ironwood is a bit longer and I poke myself occasionally when tatting at speed.

Now onto other subjects, so if you don't want to read any further, you don't have to.

I have been absent from blogging for a long time. Some of you know
that Farmguy was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and underwent Prostate
removal surgery on April 30. It was to have been an overnight stay.
well, things didn't go so well, and he didn't get out of the hospital
until Jun 28th. I lived in his hospital room with him, it made his stay
go so much better, he didn't have to wait for nurses to come help with
much of what he needed. We did nearly lose him once during surgery.
7.5hrs on the table for surgery #2, and 5.5 hrs for surgery #3

During
that time he underwent 2 more major abdominal surgeries. Both caused
by complications that developed during recovery, not due to additional
cancer.

He is recovering slowly but still has a long way
to go. He came home with 5 drains, and umpteen pills and shots. He
has been able to get rid of 1 drain, but still has 2 nephrostomy tubes
draining his kidneys into bags strapped to his legs, and both and
Illiostomy and a Colostomy glued to his abdomen.
During his stay in the hosp he lost 40 pounds, he now weighs 153 on a 6' frame.

Last fall he bought a new tractor and a new combine, will the tractor was brand new, but the combine is new to us,

he had a chance to drive the tractor doing some spring tillage and a
bit of planting before he had to go to the hosp, but never got a chance
to drive the combine. Wheat harvest will be going full bore in a couple
of days so since the tractor was easy riding this spring, he thought
the combine might be too, well not so much. His hopes of running the
combine during harvest were shattered today. He is not healed up
enough. So, he will have to sit on the sidelines at least for wheat and
likely next month for soybeans, but is hoping he can help with Corn
harvest in late October/November.

Because of his
recovery, I have received permission to work from home so I can take
care of him, and give him his meds, one of which is a shot that he gets
3x's a day. So much fun to poke a needle in him.

My garden this year got lost in the weeds while I was at the hosp so you don't get to see that this year.

Our old dog died last year, so this year I decided to get chickens again. I ordered them before things got out of hand with Farmguy.
This is what 75 baby chicks looked like on May 16th, when they were 2 days old.

Did you know they mail your baby chicks to you?
This is how they come

And here is what they look like in the box, you can't tell, but there are 25 Buff Orpingtons and 50 White Cross

And 3 months later, this is what they look like now

White Cross Rooster and Hen

Buff Orpington

The White Cross roosters and most of the hens will be headed for the freezer next month. The Buff's and a few white hens will be a new layer flock.

This is what my chicken house looks like. it is very old, it was old when we moved here in 1976. I think I need to give it a coat of white wash this summer so it will be brighter this fall and winter.

It is only 12' X10' I am standing in the door and there are 2 windows on the same side as the door, and the one window you see is facing west. The chickens spend most of their days outside in the pen, we can't let them run free range, there is a fox den out in the pasture not too far from the yard. If they ran free the fox would eat them. And there are eagles nesting near the river a mile north, they would eat good too, so they are confined to the house and the pen.

Well, this is long enough, but gives you a bit of catch up on me for the past couple of months.
Happy Tatting.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

I am going to do this one. I don't know how large this one will get, some of her doilies have been very large.

I had in mind the way I wanted this doily to look and needed some new thread colors.

I really enjoy the early spring violas, Johnny Jump Ups, wild violets and pretty Pansys. So I thought that a doily that brought that out would look very nice.

So, I contacted a thread dyer with an etsy shop - NAGSTUDIOS that I have become familiar with on FaceBook - Monica Braxton.

This is what she was able to come up with for me.

I think this is going to look very good.

on another note, I have been absent from online sources for a while now, and that might continue sporadically. my husband had cancer surgery last week, it turned out well, but was way more involved then originally hoped. Now he needs to heal and that is going to be a very slow process.

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Please remind your male family and friends that a simply PSA blood test for Prostate cancer will make their lives much easier when it is caught early rather than late.

Monday, April 28, 2014

I haven't been able to do much tatting this winter, I had something wrong in the base of the back of my left hand near my wrist. A pinched nerve or something. The Chiropractor said there was some kind of calcium deposit or something, but it is fixed now and I can get some tatting done.

The first thing I have done is Jane Eborall's TIAS pattern
The threads are both size 20 in Lizbeth Rainbow Taffy and DMC Babylo in orange

You will note that I have an extra ring at the top of the mast. I needed an easy way to hide my final ends so used a SSSR to do so. Works like a charm. Thanks Jane for the fun pattern.

With the weather this past several days, we may need a boat. We have gotten over 2" in the past 3 days, but several miles from here they have had almost 4". All the whole month of April we didn't get any and now it is coming at once. Only good thing, it should finally get the frost out of the ground. The farmguy and other farmers around here are chaffing at the bit.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Many of you follow Fox's Tat-ology as she is a wonderful prolific tatter and poster. She had some issues with her web hosting site and has had to change to a blogspot blog. All of her past posts are still there, but you need to find her here http://www.tat-ology.blogspot.ca .So update your lists and bookmarks or favorites and you will be able to keep right up with Fox.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Today my best friend and my family put together a wonderful day to celebrate my birthday.

I don't actually turn 60 until monday, but to get the most people together it needed to be done on a weekend.

They treated us to dinner at one of the better restaurants in the area. Then they took us all bowling. I think all 22 of us from 2 - 66 had a good time.

My bestie made both an eclair cake and 3 candy bar pies for dessert so we all enjoyed ourselves.

I got some great gifts.

A ball of very pretty thread to tat with

Purples and greens this will be very pretty worked up.

My daughter must have done some research and got me some sock yarn from Pat Fly.

The colors in the picture are quite as rich as the yarn really is but it is going to be very nice to work with. The ombre Rose is a Super Wash Merino Wool, so it doesn't have to be hand washed. The Blue/Purple variegated is also a Super Wash but a Blue Face Leicester Wool so that is really nice. The Natural colored skein in the center is 30% NZ Possum 50% Merino Wool and 20% Nylon.

Just this morning I was doing some research on NZ Possum to see what exactly that is, and it really is fur from an Australian Possum that is over running New Zealand. From what I understand when you mix the fur from the Possum with the wool to make yarn, then wash the item you have knitted, the Possum fibers "fluff" up and make really nice thick warm clothing.

These yarns are going to be fun to work with. Right now my Circular Sock Machine (CSM) is visiting the specialist. It needs a bit of work before I can make any more socks on it. Once that gets back home I will be having some fun with it.

Monday, March 24, 2014

I needed an easy take along project as I accompany someone with medical issues. Something easy to pick up and drop at the call of a name, so I pondered what to chose and picked up Jan Stawasz book of Tatted Treasures.

Diane of Lace Lovin' Librarian had sent me 4 samples of Lizbeth Twirlz threads in red, green, purple and blue to try.

Jan's Flower Pot II looked perfect, I could pair both the Twirlz threads and regular Lizbeth and other brands in the same project. All threads are size 20
Please ignore the thread ends, I never cut them close until the project is complete.

I have completed 2 of the flowers. I used a Manuela variegated for the bud and the Lizbeth Twirlz for the sepals,stem and leaves. If you have looked at the pattern, you will note that I missed the picots at the sides of the bud. I like this better, but it was an oops.

The second flower on the right is done with Lizbeth yellow and 2 of the Twirlz.

The Twirlz thread seems to me to be softer then the regular Lizgbeth, not as soft as a perle cotton, but not as crisp and firm as regular either.

I do have to admit that I do not tat using Jan's method, I tat frontside/backside and many years ago when I studied his technique, it worked out to be about the same, so that is what I do.

I have also used a Single Shuttle Split Ring at the bottom to hide ends, in doing so, I have missed making the joining picot, but I think I can tease one out anyway when it comes time.

I have 3 more flowers to make and then the pot. I have the colors picked out for the flowers, but I do not have any idea yet as to what I will use for the pot. Maybe I will have to find a terracotta color so it really does look like a flower pot.

This project is going to be my "take along" work, so it will be a while before it gets completed.

Life is going to be a bit calmer for the next week or 2, so maybe I can sit down and finish a couple projects that I need to get done.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

This has been a very cold winter.
My office at work has a huge north facing window - it used to be a school. The chill coming off the window even if I am dressed warm enough, has bothered my hands. So there has been not too much tatting this winter.

I did get a few things done.

This is Frivole's Snowflake Celeste.

Last November I shared the start the Clover Leaf Doily by Linda Davies. The links to her patterns are in the right hand column of her blog.

Looks great here doesn't it. Well, This is what it looked like when I finished the 2nd round .

I pulled and pulled the joins, but the picots are just too small. So, I will have to start over.

I did a bit more on the sock machine as well.

I made my first pair of socks.

The weather has suddenly gotten much warmer. A couple weeks ago we are still having temps below zero and not just at night. Now today it was 58 F and sunny. Still very windy. but the snow is disappearing and the ground is starting to dry out.
I think spring might actually get here.

About Me

NATA #39 Ladytats has been my "name" online for over 12 years.
I am a 50+ wife, mother and grandmother. Married to a grain and livestock farmer. We have 7 children; 5 of whom are married and we have 10 grands.
I currently am the office manager for Dakota Steel Art.
I am active in my local parish and have been chosen to represent our area deanery at the diocesan level.
In Tatting the knots make sense.